Like many people of my generation, I grew up with two awesome sources of amusement: Lego and Star Wars.
With Lego, I can remember hours upon hours of fun as a kid building different buildings, vehicles, devices, and objects of all sorts. Then I would spend hours on end playing with what I built. Lego was great as I could play with them on my own, with my sister, or with other friends. It helped me develop my creative side as most of my designs were from my mind and not from the "guide" what what the Lego set had pictured. And what I love about it is still allows kids (and adults with the "kid" still in them) exercise their creative muscle.
Of course who can grow up in the 70s and 80s without loving Star Wars (well, some people I suppose, not me). Star Wars was and is a great franchise for so many reasons. Firstly, I love the story line in the movies. Who doesn't want to root for underdog heroes? Secondly, the futuristic setting of Star Wars helped me develop an interest in technology and let me believe that amazing things are possible. And finally, what guy doesn't love fast paced blaster battles! I do! I do!
So clearly, both Lego and Star Wars are an awesome combination that was a brilliant move by the creators!! Not only can kids play Star Wars and enjoy the hours of fun of creating new adventures for the heroes, they can also play with Lego and further develop their creative side as they make new StarFighters, Speeders, bases, and even Destroyers.
So what does the world of Lego Star Wars have to offer to someone who is new to it? Plenty. There are many, many sets of available that will appeal to every Star Wars fan. Here are some of the core ones.
The Clone Wars
For me this series is based on the poplar animated film and TV series, The Clone Wars. Great for all the kids and fans of that series, there are several cool sets that you can get.
Lego Star Wars Republic Frigate
Have hours of fun with this Republic Frigate and create new Jedi adventures for your heroes as they try to keep the universe safe!
Directly from Star Wars: The Clone
Wars, the Republic Frigate has plenty of cool features including a detachable escape pod, proton torpedo launcher, and rotating turbo-laser cannons, among other features. The Frigate has amazing details like dashboards, seating, storage compartments, and opening hatches. Plus the legs unfold so your can display the ship for everyone to admire.
Of course, no Frigate would be complete without a cast of minifigure heroes to control it: Master Yoda, Quinlan Vos, Eeth Koth, and 2 clones (one clone trooper and one clone commander - Wolffe style).
The set is easy to assemble, but can be a tad flimsy (like the thrusters can come off - you may need to change the design to address this). The details are great on the minifigures, especially the wolf pack figures.
Rated for ages 9 - 14, and has 1022 pieces. Model 7964.
Lego Star Wars Geonosian StarfighterWin the Clone Wars battle with the Geonosian Starfighter!
Let Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi speed into battle with this sleek Starfighter. Equipped with a turret-mounted cannon and proton torpedo launcher, you can be sure the heroes will be in control. Complete with an opening cockpit, a hidden compartment, and 3 minifigures (Ki-Adi-Mindi, a clone commander, and a Geonosian pilot), this Lego is ready for action.
This ship is well build, holds together very well (better than some other sets), and the parts contain a lot of useful pieces for mixing and matching with other sets. It is almost an exact replica of the original and the figures are fairly unique. Note there are no studs in the cockpit, so the minifigures rattle around a lot.
Rated for ages 7 - 12, and has 155 pieces. Model 7959.
Lego Star Wars Sith Nightspeeder
Use this, dark, slick Sith Nightspeeder with it's trio of trouble!
An awesome speeder with flick-missles for action packed battles and detachable twin pods to let the Sith assassins surround the Jedi for an extraordinary fight! Includes three minifigures, including Anakin Skywalker, Savage Opress, and Asajj Ventress, as well as 4 lightsabers and an axe.
Very easy to build this Nightspeeder and the minifigures are very cool. It is a bit flimsy and there lots of stickers though. However, some people get this just for the minifigures.
Rated for ages 7 - 12, and has 214 pieces. Model 7957.Lego Star Wars General Grivous Starfighter
General Grievous Starftighter!!! Need I say more?
This is a must have for any collector. Soar into the thick of a battle against the Jedis with this Starfighter, which has hidden flick-missles, and opening cockpit, and swiveling command chair.
Comes with 3 minifigures, includi
ng General Grievous, his droid, and Nahdar Vebb.
The main attraction here is General Grievous, which has four arms that are surprisingly flexible. The Starfighters cockpit slides open rather than open upward, which is unusual and cool. Very fun to build. However, the tail fin falls off a hit, Nahdar's head is loose, and I have heard that General Grievous' arms sometimes fall off.
Lego Star Wars Mace Windu's Jedi Starfighter
A voice of reason on the Jedi council, Mace Windu and his StarFighter will bring balance to the next epic battle.
A somewhat rare set as it comes with two main vehicles - a StarFighter and a LandSpeeder - so your hero Mace Windu can traverse to the next planet as the Separatists scour the barren lands for their Republic enemies. Use the flick missiles to blast an asteroid to create a distraction.Comes with 5 minifigures - Mace Windu, his R8 unit, and 3 droids.
A great treat for your kids, especially since there are 5 minifigures and 4 vehicles it will allow for lots of sharing when playing. There are quite a few stickers though, and some people may not like the color scheme.
Rated for ages 7 - 12, and has 309 pieces. Model 7868.
Amazon.com has a great selection of Lego Star Wars Clone Wars sets. Worth checking out.
